Bearing bushes are used at the small end of the connecting rod, to connect onto the piston pin (also known as a gudgeon pin or wrist pin), and may be used elsewhere in an engine. Bearing bushes are hollow cylindrical bearing liners, that may be solid sleeve bushes, split bushes (in which a strip is formed into a cylinder with butt-jointed ends) or clinch bushes (like split bushes, additionally provided with mutual engagement features on the ends of the strip).
Known bearing bushes comprise a strong steel backing layer and a metal lining layer on the backing layer, which provides the running surface for the journal (e.g. gudgeon pin/wrist pin) rotatably held in the bearing.
Main crankshaft bearings typically comprise pairs of hollow semi-cylindrical bearing shells that may be provided with a thrust washer that is generally semi-annular, annular or circular.
It is desirable to provide increased wear resistance and to improve the fatigue strength of bearing lining layers in such bearings.